Classical variation guide
La Prière (Prayer) Variation
Also known as Coppelia Prayer Variation · Coppélia La Prière · Prayer Variation · La Prière
Coppélia · Act III
Female
Intermediate
Arthur Saint-Léon
Léo Delibes
About this variation
La Prière, or the Prayer Variation, is one of the allegorical dances in Coppélia’s third-act celebration. Its serene adagio and devotional port de bras ask the dancer to communicate stillness, sincerity, and inner calm through refined classical placement.
Performance quality
Serene, reverent, lyrical, and quietly radiant
Training focus
Develop sustained balances, seamless transfers of weight, controlled extensions, and expressive port de bras. Practice bringing the palms together cleanly at the sternum without lifting the shoulders or collapsing the chest.
Key elements
Balances · Sustained adagio · Extensions · Expressive port de bras